Textured Laminate Structure, Absorbent Articles With Textured Laminate Structure, And Method for Manufacturing

Abstract

A method for producing a textured laminate structure is disclosed. The method may include the steps of forming a first bonded nonwoven material of polymeric fibers constituting a first layer, creating a pattern of apertures through the first bonded nonwoven material, and following the aperture pattern creating step, discontinuously bonding the first layer to a second layer. The method may also include disposing one or more elastic members between the first and second layers prior to the bonding step. The one or more elastic members may be disposed between the layers while in a strained condition. The resulting structure provides a stretch laminate with tactilely and visually interesting features, and may be used to form components of a disposable absorbent article such as a side panel thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing a textured laminate structure, comprising the steps of:
 forming, along a machine direction, a first bonded nonwoven material of polymeric fibers having a machine direction bias, constituting a first layer;   creating a pattern of apertures through the first bonded nonwoven material; and   following said aperture pattern creating step, discontinuously bonding the first layer to a second layer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second layer is a nonwoven material formed of polymeric fibers. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of disposing one or more elastic members between the first and second layers prior to said bonding step. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the one or more elastic members are strands of elastomeric material. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  further wherein the one or more elastic members are disposed between the first and second layers while in a strained condition. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the aperture pattern creating step comprises the steps of impressing an added pattern of thermal bonds into the first bonded nonwoven material, and incrementally stretching the first bonded nonwoven material thereby causing material at the thermal bonds to break and form said apertures. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a majority of the apertures define shapes whose greatest dimension is oriented along the machine direction. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of tinting, pigmenting or printing at least one of the first and second layers in a first color that visually contrasts with a second color of the other of the first and second layers. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the polymeric fibers are formed of a polyolefin. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the polymeric fibers comprise staple fibers. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said discontinuous bonding step comprises the step of disposing a pattern of deposits of adhesive between the first and second layers. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said discontinuous bonding step comprises the step of creating a pattern of thermal bonds between the first and second layers.